The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 204

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 204

Although I knew Ahmed’s identity since he didn’t particularly hide it, I treated him no differently than any ordinary patient.

He’s really different from certain people who make a racket every time they come.

My mind feels truly at peace, indeed.

“The symptoms existed from when he was even younger, and worsened after coming to South Korea, right? When did you arrive?”

“We came last year. I thought it was just particularly severe that year, but this year it became severe again like back then. I received word that Majid was disrupting class because he kept blowing his nose.”

“That’s not my fault.”

“Father knows that too. That’s why we came for treatment.”

Majid interjected with a sulky expression at his father’s words.

If it keeps running like that and he has to keep blowing his nose.

“Is it clear nasal discharge?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As expected, it was clear nasal discharge rather than yellow.

What I glimpsed when he blew his nose earlier was also clear.

“Isn’t it blocked?”

“It’s not like that, right?”

“Yes, only occasionally.”

No cough, sneezing only occasionally when going out in the cold. There were no problems at all with smell or taste.

“Does it feel refreshing when you blow your nose? Does it also go down the back?”

“Not much goes down the back. It feels refreshing when I blow it, right?”

“So there’s a little phlegm?”

“A little bit of thin stuff, *sniff*.”

Perhaps because he was young and thus learned the language quickly, Majid answered each question clearly.

Even so, he kept asking for tissues.

“Let me take a look at the mucous membrane.”

I bought a nasal endoscope on my tax accountant’s advice to spend more on equipment before the year ended, and it was a good choice.

I inserted the device into Majid’s nose and took pictures of the mucous membrane.

“As I expected from the fact that it doesn’t get blocked, the mucous membrane lacks elasticity.”

It would have been better if it severely blocked and swelled.

That would mean the nose had the power to respond to external stimuli and heal inflammation on its own, and that the mucous membrane had the elasticity to swell and subside.

That’s exactly what happens with temporary colds that don’t become chronic.

“Here, this is the state of a healthy nasal mucous membrane.”

I explained by comparing it with a picture of a pink, firm nasal mucous membrane.

The nasal discharge sticking to it and the wounds from constantly blowing were natural, but the sagging elasticity was clearly the bigger problem.

“Is it severe?”

Majid asked, looking back and forth between me and his father.

Ahmed and I nodded simultaneously.

“I thought it would be okay since he’s still young, but it’s more chronic than I expected.”

“…I brought him too late. I should have gotten treatment sooner.”

A faint sense of guilt crossed Ahmed’s face.

No, it wasn’t that serious.

“It’s still okay though. At least it hasn’t progressed to sinusitis. The phlegm going down the back of the throat isn’t severe either. This level is definitely treatable.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

I showed them several samples of mucous membranes from more severe cases.

In cases of people who had suffered from rhinitis for decades, not only was the elasticity dead, but the color was pale due to poor blood circulation.

They couldn’t even swell at all.

Ancient medical texts use the expression that the nose is the gateway to the lungs.

Rhinitis is ultimately the process that occurs when foreign substances trying to invade the lungs fight with the sentries in the nose, and mucous membranes that can’t even swell are like having the gateway wide open.

“When anything – allergies, cold wind, dust – stimulates the mucous membrane, the nasal mucous membrane swells to block it and fights germs. The clear nasal discharge is exactly what happens when white blood cells and large amounts of fluid are released when germs penetrate the mucous membrane.”

I gave a simple explanation about rhinitis and nasal discharge.

In any case, the mucous membrane swelling to block the passage and nasal discharge coming out meant the immune system was responding.

“The first step of treatment is to reduce inflammation and swelling, and allow air to pass through. We need to reduce the immediately uncomfortable symptoms. But the second step is more important. We need to restore the mucous membrane to health so it doesn’t form nasal discharge and inflammation every time it resists external stimuli like this. In common terms, we’re boosting immunity.”

Just because it’s fighting well doesn’t mean you can leave the nasal discharge alone – it won’t stop.

Instead of ending with temporary swelling, blood vessels continuously dilate and cells hypertrophy, completely blocking the passage, and nasal discharge can accumulate in the inferior turbinate.

If that gets contaminated, it progresses to sinusitis.

Therefore, the process of initially reducing symptoms is necessary.

“The first step will show effects within days to weeks. Western medicine might show more immediate results. But if you end treatment there, it will keep recurring, so it’s important to treat it completely. In Majid’s case, it will take some time for the mucous membrane to regain its elasticity.”

Having seen the state of the mucous membrane with the nasal endoscope, Ahmed easily agreed.

Unlike him, Majid seemed slightly disappointed to hear it wouldn’t heal quickly.

“Actually, when he took medicine last year it was fine, but when he stopped it got worse, and recently it became severe again. I’ll follow through to the end.”

Since he was a patient with high compliance, the treatment effects would likely be good too.

“But is there anything you suspect might be a triggering factor? If it’s allergic, it’s definitely best to isolate from it.”

Treatment is treatment, but if external factors are continuously having an effect, isolation measures should be taken as much as possible.

Of course, if the cause is something like fine dust or pollen allergies where you can’t immediately leave the country, we’d have to strengthen the mucous membrane as much as possible within what we can do.

“Hmm… What do you think?”

I asked Ahmed, but Majid shook his head.

“Should I call my wife to ask? She says it seems to be because of the cold.”

His attitude was uncertain though.

“Does it get worse in winter?”

Sometimes the simple answer is the correct one.

“Yes. Last year too, the symptoms got worse as soon as winter came. At that time he took Western medicine for two whole months and got better when spring came, so I thought he was fine, but it got worse again this winter.”

“You don’t keep pets, and you live at the Embassy Residence, right?”

“Yes.”

Excluding the highly likely fur allergies and sick building syndrome.

“We can consider it cold-induced.”

It was narrowed down to wind-cold syndrome first.

“Since his immunity to temperature and humidity is insufficient, avoid cold environments as much as possible until his body builds up enough strength to resist the cold.”

Even people born and raised in South Korea can be sensitive to cold, so how much more so for someone from a desert country?

But at these obvious words, Ahmed showed a slightly dismayed expression.

“I made him walk to kindergarten to help him adapt…”

“…Please take him by car, as much as circumstances allow.”

His appearance looks ordinary, but isn’t he actually the son of a very wealthy family?

He grew up going in and out of the Royal Palace himself, so why is he raising his child so strictly?

Korean winters are already so cold!

“Make sure he wears thermal underwear and a mask too. Since it’s kindergarten, they probably heat it decently, right?”

“It’s cold in the morning!”

When I asked to confirm, Majid quickly answered.

His eyes were full of resentment toward his father.

“Hmm, I’ll make sure to keep it warm at home at least.”

“Yes. You need to reduce irritation as much as possible.”

I had found the aggravating factors too.

Finally, I checked his overall condition including diet and sleep for a detailed prescription and felt his pulse.

Fortunately, aside from his pulse being slightly sunken, there were no major problems.

“In Korean medicine, rhinitis is largely classified into wind-cold syndrome and wind-heat syndrome, and both the mucous membrane condition and cold stimulation point in one direction.”

Naturally wind-cold syndrome.

It’s seen as a condition where the lungs become cold along with external cold air, and medicines that disperse wind-cold are used.

In contrast, wind-heat syndrome is closer to sinusitis, and the focus is on medicines that drive out heat toxins that cause turbid nasal discharge.

“For the first month, I’ll use a modified version of a herbal medicine called Socheongryong-tang. Since he’s young, certain medicinal ingredients might be too stimulating, so I’ll combine it with a medicine called Jaeum-ganghwa-tang.”

“Will you do acupuncture treatment too?”

“It would be good if possible. I’ll place needles directly on the nasal mucous membrane and also do distal point selection to strengthen lung qi. Oh, and.”

I took out an item I had newly introduced along with the nasal endoscope.

“It’s called nasal chuna. I insert a balloon into the nose to directly widen the narrowed mucous membrane.”

“Oh?”

“It will open right up and you’ll feel refreshed.”

It’s a device that expands the nasal cavity that gradually narrows as rhinitis becomes chronic, and it was effective not only for rhinitis but also for headaches, temporomandibular joint disorders, and facial asymmetry correction.

Hehe, it’s new technology. I can use things like this here too? A desire to boast to Master suddenly welled up.

“And finally, I’ll give you a topical rhinitis ointment to apply, so don’t forget to use it.”

“Oh, good. There was a topical medicine too.”

Ahmed was very amazed as unexpected treatment methods came up.

But external medicines had been common treatments since ancient times.

Even looking at Chinese papers, they always use oral and topical medicines together, but somehow in our country, using only oral medicines became mainstream.

Actually, when I was in the Martial Arts World, I sometimes treated rhinitis patients who couldn’t afford herbal decoctions with only external medicines.

Like spraying nowadays, I would make herbal medicines into powder and blow them into the nose, apply them like ointment, or soak cloth with medicinal substances and insert them.

When cold syndrome was prominent like with Majid, I made external medicines with asarum, angelica dahurica, and pepper, and for patients with thick and dry mucous membranes, I used medicinal ingredients like asparagus, acorus, rhubarb, and coptis.

As needed, I would open passages with mint or help blood circulation in the mucous membrane with ginger juice.

“Wow.”

I didn’t custom-make the rhinitis ointment, but had prepared ones divided into cases of severe inflammation, cold syndrome, and dryness.

“It will be very helpful.”

As I confidently handed over the rhinitis ointment, Ahmed also received the medicine with a trusting face.

“Thank you. I’ll see you next month.”

* * *

Majid was a child with pretty good adaptability.

When told he had to go to South Korea, he came, and when told to study various things, he just did it.

“Ugh, ah, eh, achoo!”

But he absolutely could not adapt to the cold of this country.

How could sub-zero temperatures be possible? Even watching the weather forecast was strange, and the cold that penetrated his skin was worse.

An international kindergarten located in the district where Embassy Residences were gathered, attended by many diplomat children.

In summer it was a distance he could easily run back and forth, but in winter it was nothing short of a hellish path.

“Kheung!”

No matter how much he blew his nose, the mucus kept coming out.

He did this ten times in an hour, so his friends would stare at him, but there was nothing he could do about it.

It felt so stuffy he thought he might die.

Then one day, after the teacher said something, Father took Majid to Busan.

‘It’s a bit less cold here.’

The fact that he would have to take the black medicine that Father had been taking for a while wasn’t very appealing, but basically Majid was a child who just did whatever his parents told him to do.

Since Father said it was good, he figured it must be, and received treatment.

‘Ah! I feel like I can live!’

They did a strange treatment where they stuck needles in his nose.

After pushing a balloon in, it seemed to feel a bit refreshing too.

But the best thing was the ointment to apply.

“What’s that?”

After applying it, amazingly, the itchiness in his nose decreased dramatically.

“Rhinitis ointment? It’s a topical rhinitis medicine.”

“Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic? You got it from an oriental medicine clinic?”

His classmate read the writing on the rhinitis ointment.

Was that place an oriental medicine clinic? He wasn’t sure, but Majid nodded.

“So Majid goes to oriental medicine clinics too.”

For some reason, his friend was very curious and asked if he could try applying the medicine once too.

“They said there are different types. Do you get runny nose when it’s cold too?”

“Yeah. Not as much as you though.”

He handed over a cotton swab without thinking.

“Don’t poke it. Apply it gently.”

“Thanks!”

And for several days.

Majid spent quite comfortable days.

He didn’t know which treatment it was thanks to, but the frequency of blowing his nose decreased much more, so he no longer received glares.

He realized that even just wrapping a scarf around and wearing a mask made him feel much less cold.

‘Huh?’

Taking medicine and applying ointment had become a habit.

Since he had brought plenty of extras, rhinitis ointment was always in Majid’s pocket, on his desk, and in his locker.

But he suddenly realized that a daily necessity he had used much more frequently than that… had been absent from some point on.

‘I don’t have tissues?’

Since when had they been gone?

Yesterday? The day before? Had he been fine without blowing his nose all this time?

Majid was shocked.

In just a few days, changes had appeared at an incredible speed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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